Thank you to all the referees who came to our end of year party at Mountain Mike's on Sunday. It was great to see everyone and we enjoyed giving out some raffle prizes, awards, and the usual swapping of referee stories!

Our 2018 Award winners were announced. Congratulations to all of these PSRA referees for their outstanding efforts this year:

We also want to take this time to thank all of our PSRA referees for your hard work and dedication this year. In 2018, we covered over 2,000 matches with over 5,000 individual positions on the pitch across Recreation, Club League, Adult League, NPL, ECNL, State Cup and Tournament matches in Pleasanton. None of this is possible without the effort and commitment of our local referees.

This year was also an innovative one for PSRA. We rolled out our Centers & Mentors program to teach more referees how to carry the whistle and we took our first attempt at building out more All-Female crews during the Rage College Showcase. We expect both of these pioneering programs to expand in 2019.

Lastly, we must thank our clubs for their tremendous support and partnership this year. PSRA is privileged to work with two outstanding clubs, BUSC and RAGE, right here in Pleasanton. Thank you to Sam and Kevin and the team at BUSC, and to Jon, Philippe and the team at RAGE. PSRA appreciates all you do for soccer in Pleasanton and for your tremendous support of PSRA and our referees.

Happy Holidays to everyone in the Pleasanton soccer community. We'll see you for a last few chilly December matches and then we'll be back on the pitch in 2019!

As we head into the spring season, we would like to encourage players, coaches, family members, club officials and referees to take a moment to consider how they will behave around their upcoming soccer games. All play an important role in our small piece of the "World's Game" -- all deserve to be treated respectfully.

While we absolutely encourage everyone to give their best effort, trying to win, we also believe a sense of soccer fellowship should be maintained at all times - among opponents, opposing fans, and referees. Treat each other with courtesy, remember you opponents are just like you, fans of the game, only in a different uniform, playing for a different club, supporting a different team, or in the case of referees, with a different role to play.

Whatever part you play, be a role model. Set an example. Your positive example is incredibly valuable to those who witness it!

The rules must be respected -- they maintain a player's health and safety, provide everyone a fair chance to win each match, and provide necessary checks and balances to govern a game full of emotions.

Referees must be respected and treated properly -- without them the games cannot be played. Remember they are sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, grandmothers and grandfathers. They are our fellow soccer fans and they deserve our patience. Our praise, respect and admiration should be shown to them for taking on what is often a thankless task.

Finally, respect the game! Soccer, futebol, fussball, football, whatever you may call it, is the greatest sport in the world -- for it to continue to grow and remain healthy in our country it absolutely needs us to respect... its fields, its players, its fans, its referees and its coaches.

Eric Christian Larson of Pleasanton, CA, passed away on January 2, 2016, at the age of 62 after a long battle with cancer. He is predeceased by his parents Hugo and Kari Arentzen Larson and stepson J.R. Larson. He is survived by Anne (Sam) Larson, his wife of 35 years; daughter Sharon Esthena Larson Starnes, son-in-law Nick Starnes, and step grandson Cooper of Chico, CA; and daughter Whitney Larson, of Las Vegas, NV. Eric is also survived by his sister Ann Larson of Essex Junction, VT; sister Linn Barlow, brother-in-law Renn Barlow, niece Esthena and nephew Graham of Middlebury, VT; and brother Jens Larson, sister-in-law Maggie Larson and nephew Kyle of Phoenix, AZ. Eric is also remembered fondly by numerous cousins across the country.​

﻿﻿At his request, there will be no service, but a party in his honor will be held in May. In lieu of flowers, please instead donate in Eric’s name to a youth charity of your liking.​Gathering/Celebration will be May 14, in Pleasanton at Veterans Memorial Building on Main Street from 2:00 PM till 5:30 PM.​​If you plan to attend in celebration of Eric's life please visit the RSVP page on the Pleasanton RAGE website below:​

]]>Sat, 13 Feb 2016 17:04:14 GMThttps://www.psra.org/bulletin/us-soccer-concussion-initiativeIn December of 2015 U.S. Soccer unveiled a concussion initiative with guidelines that have now been in place since January of 2016. This initiative is part of U.S. Soccer larger "Recognize to Recover" (R2R) program and per it's name focuses on head injuries and its prevention.

The U.S. Soccer concussion initiative includes specific changes for certain age groups in regards to substitutions and heading of the ball. These changes are seen below as put forth on U.S. Soccers official website:

Modify substitution rules to allow players who may have suffered a concussion during games to be evaluated without penalty

Eliminating heading for children 10 and under

Please note that U11 is listed in the U.S. Soccer Concussion Initiative document because U11 players can be 10 years old at the beginning of the season

Limiting the amount of heading in practice for children between the ages of 11 and 13

Pleasanton Soccer Referee Association urges referees of all age groups to become familiar with these new guidelines and to visit U.S. Soccer website for more detailed information as well as answers to FAQ's.

]]>Sat, 23 Jan 2016 03:32:23 GMThttps://www.psra.org/bulletin/welcome-to-the-new-psra-websiteThe new Pleasanton Soccer Referee Associations (PSRA's) website has just been launched. With a new slick design it's easier than ever to navigate and find the information and resources that you need. We look forward to your feedback and hope you enjoy this new design as much as we do.